Creating a Hostile Environment for the Flesh: Reclaiming and Maintaining Personal Victory

By Pastor Bernard King

God has graciously granted Bernard King over thirty years of ministry experience. In 1981, at Syracuse University, Bernard surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ and received His gift of salvation and the forgiveness of sins. He immediately became active in ministry and served as campus president for Campus Bible Fellowship. He also co-labored with other ministries, such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action.

Bernard answered the call to be on staff at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, where he was ordained and served as a minister and an assistant pastor for nine years. In 2008, Pastor King started a Bible study in West Delray Beach. That Bible study was the catalyst for Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, where he now serves as senior pastor.

Bernard has BS (speech communications) and MS (counseling education) degrees from Syracuse University. His life verse is He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).

He purposes to promote Jesus Christ as the most prominent presence and person in his life. For Gods glory!

Bernard and his wife Gloria have been married for twenty-five years. They reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490806525

Pastor Bernard King

This book is written for the willing of heart and those who are seriously seeking a sound and soul-changing spiritual skill set that secures a life of consistent victory and a rich, rewarding, and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that God, by his amazing grace, will cause you to internalize and apply the material mention in this book, in order that you will abandon the depths of defeat and ascend the stairs of victory. So, Lord willing, let’s purpose to proceed and procure the following steps that would forward your success in creating a hostile environment for the flesh, (maintaining and reclaiming personal victory).

Book preview

Creating a Hostile Environment for

the Flesh

Reclaiming and Maintaining

Personal Victory

Pastor Bernard King

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Copyright © 2013 Pastor Bernard King.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-0651-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-0652-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013915405

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/28/2013

Contents

Thanks and Appreciation

Introduction

Chapter 1       Reevaluating Your Power Resource

Chapter 2       Identifying the Bully

Chapter 3       Making a Stand against the Bully

Chapter 4       The Arrogance of Self-Autonomy

Chapter 5       Meet My Friend: MR. MAP

Chapter 6       A Man or Women under Authority

Chapter 7       The Leadership of the Holy Spirit

Chapter 8       Harvesting Humility (A Holy Habit)

Chapter 9       A Conscience Captured by Christ (Is Prepared for War)

Chapter 10       The Essentiality of a Christlike Mentality

Chapter 11       Fixed in the Facts of Freedom

Notes

Thanks and Appreciation

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our God and Father for His goodness and mercy that is ministered unto me every morning and follows me all the days of my life. I thank my splendid soul mate and helper from heaven, Gloria, whose love, support, encouragement, and belief in me is immeasurable. I thank my three sons, Bernard Jr., Philip, and Seth, for their prayers and lives that reveal a love for the Lord. I thank Dr. Lina Paske for her heaven-sent persistence, patience, and precious outpouring of time and sacrifice. I also want to thank God’s incredible, separated-to-the-gospel servants at Cornerstone Bible Fellowship. May God richly reward your uncompromising devotion, service, and loyalty to Him, and your love and loyalty for this piece of clay you affectionately affirm as your pastor.

FtGG

For the Glory of God

Pastor Bernard King sr.

Introduction

The basis of this book was birthed while I was busy engaging in a routine fitness regime (temple maintenance). I had completed my upper body and cardio exercises, so I was deliberately determined to go after my abdominals (wishing for washboards). After ripping out repetition after repetition of crunches and leg raises, my upper and lower abdominal muscles began to respond to the aggravated assault by sending their usual SOS signal to my mental headquarters.

As I seriously considered answering their cries of anguish and capitulating to their convincing case, an epiphany entered my mind. It was a divine disclosure that directed me to an awesome analogy and a laudable lesson with respect to the differences between spiritual and personal victory versus spiritual and personal defeat.

An Unwanted Intruder

For I know that in me [that is, in my flesh] dwelleth no good thing. Romans 7:18a KJV

When my oldest son, BJ, was in high school, we paid a visit to the dermatologist to address an aggressive wart that had staked its claim on the side of his face near his left temple.

After analyzing and assessing my son’s dermatological issue, the dermatologist recommended three different approaches of treatment for this tenacious and troubling intruder: We could try to lance or cut the wart off. We could try to freeze it off, or we could try to treat it topically with a solution or cream. The first two options would probably leave a scar, so we elected to treat the intruder topically.

The objective was to create a hostile environment for the wart. This would not only remove it but also revoke the wart’s encroachment. It will also eradicate its ruling influence and reclaim and maintain BJ’s healthy and handsome appearance.

Similarly, in order for us to become devoted disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be deliberate and determined to develop a discipline that will deliver us from the demands of our sinful nature.

My son experienced an unwanted intruder that was external. It was easily detectable. The unwanted intruder that I deliberately want to expose and exterminate is not external, but rather internal. It demands a solution that will not come from human resources, science, education, or medicine.

The pathology of this profound, persistent perpetrator originated in the very first beings that existed, whose origin and history is accurately recorded in the Word of God (the Holy Scriptures). Sin is the unwanted intruder that has invaded our lives and sentenced the whole world to eternal separation from God (eternal death) "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12 KJV

It is because of this eternal truth that we must endeavor to create a hostile environment in our hearts and minds that will remove the rampant and ruling influence of the flesh (willful and sinful nature) in our lives. Furthermore, we must secure sound steps to stamp out any suggestive and subversive advances in our attitudes that consequently incarcerate our minds and hearts in a habitual, profound pity and personal defeat.

This book is written for the willing and humble of hearts who are seeking to enjoy a life of consistent change and victory. I believe that a robust spiritual skill set will reward you with a rich and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is my prayer that God, by His amazing grace, will cause you to internalize and apply the material mentioned in this book in order that you will abandon defeat and start on the stairs of victory. So, Lord willing, let’s proceed and procure the following steps that will forward your success in creating a hostile environment for the flesh, which will maintain and reclaim personal victory.

Chapter 1

Reevaluating Your Power Resource

The Lord is my strength and song, and he is

become my salvation. …

Thy right hand, O Lord is become glorious in power.

Exodus